The topical application to human skin, in particular to the face of substances for cosmetic purposes, such as make-up, has since time immemorial been and still is, an art form employed particularly by women, as part of a daily or periodical ritual or routine to embellish or beautify their appearance in the eyes of the beholder and/or to enhance confidence, to enable them more readily to face each day. Topical application of make-up, particularly to exposed areas of the skin, can also provide some protection from the elements, such as the sun, the wind and the rain, where otherwise the skin damage or accelerated skin aging can occur.
Make-up, once applied to the skin, has conventionally only a limited life, and must be removed from time to time, in order to replenish it anew. To habitual make-up users, this is a daily or twice daily activity.
The removal of make-up, particularly so-called transfer resistant makeup, such as lipstick and mascara, presents a special problem since it is designed to adhere strongly to the skin and resist removal by aqueous solvents (e.g., as by perspiration or recreational water activities). Such transfer resistant products typically comprise a film former comprising gum or resin (e.g., silicone) in a volatile solvent.
Scrubbing of the skin to remove such make-up products can be successful, but damage to the underlying sensitive skin can result.
Oil based cleansing products such as ‘cold cream’ have been recommended for cleaning such make-up from the skin, but the resultant oil residue consisting of a mixture of solubilized make-up and excess oil cleanser is difficult to remove either by wiping off or by rinsing with water.
Surprisingly, it has been found that the use of silicone elastomer gels comprising at least one crosslinked organopolysiloxane elastomer in combination with an organic phase capable of dissolving a gum or resin material provide make-up removers which do not exhibit the above-mentioned disadvantages and which, after removal of the make-up, impart a smooth, silky soft feel to the skin. The compositions of the present invention also provide good make-up removal. The compositions of the present invention are especially useful in the removal of make-up compositions such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,962 to Rabe et al., which patent is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for removing transfer resistant make-up compositions which is both non-messy and imparts an improved after feel on the skin.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for removing gum and/or resin based transfer resistant make-up compositions by applying a safe and effective amount of a make-up removing composition comprising an organopolysiloxane elastomer and a solvent of specific solubility parameter.